From Under the Sea
| From Under the Sea | |
|---|---|
| Artist | James Clarke Hook |
| Year | 1864 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, genre painting |
| Dimensions | 108.2 cm × 82.6 cm (42.6 in × 32.5 in) |
| Location | Manchester Art Gallery, Greater Manchester |
From Under the Sea is an 1864 oil painting by the British artist James Clarke Hook.[1] It depicts a scene at the Botallack Mine near St Just in Penwith in the west of Cornwall. It shows one of the miners being brought his midday meal by his wife and children. The painting celebrates family life and the dignity of work. It was partly inspired by the accident at the same mine the previous year where ten had died. [2] The choice of a vertical painting, unusual for Hook, allows himself to emphasise the steepness of the way down to the cavern in the cliffs.[3]
Hook was noted for his scenes of life on the English coast. The painting was displayed at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1864 held at the National Gallery in London. Today the work is in the collection of the Manchester Art Gallery, which acquired it in 1891.[4]
References
- ^ Cowling p. 28
- ^ "Hook, James Clarke: From Under the Sea". Collections.manchesterartgallery.org. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
- ^ McMasters p. 146
- ^ "From under the Sea". Artuk.org. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
Bibliography
- Cowling, Mary. Victorian Figurative Painting: Domestic Life and the Contemporary Social Scene. Andreas Papadakis, 2000.
- McMaster, Juliet. James Clarke Hook: Painter of the Sea. McGill-Queen's University Press, 2023.